The Port of the Princess Published May 2012 – Company newsletter The City of the Princess’ Port “I’ll be here a while, ain’t goin nowhere.” This line from 311’s song is what was running through my head as I lay down on the beach of Sabang, Puerto Prinsesa. Puerto Prinsesa City, or the City of the Princess Port, is the capital of Palawan, which is the largest province of the Philippines. Located at the Visayas region, and if you’re looking at a map of the country, it’s that long dagger like shape protruding at the side (it stretches from Mindoro to near Borneo). With my skin longing for sand and salt water, I chose to stay at the town of Sabang. How To Get There Flights to Palawan are frequent and offered by different airlines, and the flight will take an hour, more or less. Sabang, meanwhile, is 1.5 hours away from Puerto Prinsesa. To get there from the airport, you can rent a van or take a jeep. Luckily, my hotel package included a private van going to Sabang. Where To Stay There are many resorts in Sabang. A small town located beside the sea, you can walk along the shore and choose from the different hotels and resorts, all ranging from the fancy to the simple, depending on your budget. For this trip, I stayed at the Sheridan Hotel and Spa. It’s a beautiful resort, and with the town sandwiched between the mountains and the sea, it felt like being in the actual resort of Jurassic Park. All that was missing were the dinosaurs. And I kid you not (check out my photos). What To Eat Unfortunately, being far from the city, my taste buds were not able to sample the food from the famous Ka Lui and Kinabuch. So I had to settle for the buffet at the hotel and the other dishes served at the nearby resorts and eateries. I can’t say I was able to experience the authentic Palawan cuisine, since I was not able to sample anything that was considered as the specialty of Palawan (I don’t even know what it is!). Nevertheless, I didn’t go hungry and my stomach had no complaints. What To Do Go to the Underground River, of course! As one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature, I wanted to experience what made it one of the most wondrous places on Earth. And experience it, I did. The river is huge, and stretched for kilometers underneath all that earth. With the damp, dark and cold environment, only bats and some insects considered it home. Without any light, it was pitch black. The different formations of the stalactites and stalagmites were pretty interesting, and what made it more enjoyable was the stories and explanation of our boatman. However, it was an underwhelming experience for me. Seeing it once would be enough for me, unless there were unknown monsters or creatures to be seen! But it was still a good experience, especially if you one to appreciate natural beauty. I also tried the Sabang Zipline, the only zipline which stretches above the ocean. 150 meters high, you hike up to the mountain platform, where you jump 150 meters high and travel 800 meters above the sea to the small platform by the shore. It was exciting, and I thought it would’ve been cool to be able to drop into the water. Aside from these, you can also rent an ATV and ride around the mountain trail, and if you’re into water sports, rent a kayak, a body board or a surf board to ride the waves. And surprisingly, the waves were pretty strong, good enough for surfing! I didn’t try it though, renting the board from the hotel was expensive! And of course, there was swimming at the sea, and if you’re staying at Sheridan, you can swim in the pool or take a dip in the jacuzzi. The beach, by the way, is deceiving. It may have brownish sand, but it’s still soft like powder! The Nightlife There is not much nightlife in Sabang, being a far away with no supply of electricity (power is supplied by generators). The only thing to do is to have a steady night: have a couple of drinks, and enjoy the company of the people you’re with, which is actually not bad at all.
Why Go Here? Don’t expect to have an action packed getaway in Sabang, Puerto Prinsesa. It may not have the charm of Coron, but if you’re looking to chill and escape from the worries and stress of the city, Sabang is perfect (a great hotel also did the trick). “I’ll be here a while, ain’t goin nowhere.” I really ain’t, not with a drink on one hand, the hand of someone special on the other, the sun on my face, the sand on my feet and the sea beckoning to be bathed in. You can check out Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa at their website: http://www.sheridanbeachresort.com/